One of oldest friends lives in York and I dearly love York. A Gentle run down the A74M, a cross country dash taking advantage of the C class sports firm and sporting driving characteritics and a moderate pace limited by speedtronic on the A1M saw me arrive in York mostly pain and ache free. This is a good car on a long run, not a great one.

York has its usual sights and it was lovely, pleasant and warm, if overcast. Shorts and T shirt weather, but not fine photography weather. So we ate a lot, and after departing York, I aimed the skip for Sutton Bank.

Sutton Bank is a great little stretch of driving road with steep hair pins. It could almost be Scotland, except it leads you into the Yorkshire Moors and you can let rip on the main section into Helmsley, and I mean let rip. No 47mpg here...LOL

Nice run that, but the real reason for going out here was for the run between Hutton Le Hole and Castleton and to repeat a section of a run Messrs Corned and BEJ etc and I did last year. Only, just me, and less traffic so a faster run.

A nice uphill road that is reminicent of the run through the Lecht in the Cairngorms. More sweeping turns here offset with a bumpier road surface. The max speed in 3rd gear is appropriate for my car here and a good chance to clear the manifolds out after a slug down a motorway.

In a word, one of the finest drives I've ever had as I swung the C class from turn to turn, enjoying that lovely feeling you only get from a car thats not putting drive through the front wheels, and enjoying the poise and reasonable balance on offer.

It was getting dusky by the time I was getting close to Whitby and I had a huge photographic fail: an epic sunset developing and too far from the sea or interesting landscape to do it justice. There is a windfarm on the coast that would have provided the perfect foreground to it all, but I couldn't make it fast enough.

Nice place, even before the chippies are open. Afterwards it was the skips turn to entertain. The idea was to tackle Blakey ridge down to Hutton-Le Hole and then drive over to Pickering and back to Sleights and then to Ruswarp.

A good idea.

The roads here are born entertainers. But you have to watch out for sheep. Hitting a sheep at a ton (kmph:lol::lol would do a lot of damage.

The bends are classic 3rd gear ones, with 3rd giving good engine braking, and useful drive out of the bends once you can get the power down. The cars size is an asset, anything too large here you would be afraid to push it.

Back attacking Blakey Ridge the next day. Watch for sheep, look ahead, and be observant. Its a well sighted road, but you share it with looney tunes sheep. They can hurt you if you get it wrong. Otherwise, enjoy this run.

The run up to Sleights was epic. A) you don't share it with sheep b) its a fair bit better surfaced so in a firm car this is a blessing as you are not bounced about. If I was to go really fast on Blakey ridge, I would be bounced off. Lets just say here, despite actually a few tighter turns, I kept up with a committed motorbike enjoying what a modern turbo diesel can do. Use it torque to accelerate rampantly on to make the white lines a nice big blur....

I was due to meet friends (forum and MB related chaps) at Tritons fish and chips, lets say, there is no finer fish and chips restaurant than Tritons of York. Lovely flaky haddock but isn't soggy. Nice thick cut chips, and the swiss chocolate icrecream afterwards.

Sadly, the tour was a run back via Skipton to Glasgow. Been a busy car this C class. Long distance comfort, its alright, but nothing special. I don't get what all the fuss about it is:lol::lol::lol::lol: